making romesco sauce and more, with deborah madison

DESPITE THAT 1940s Harry Truman-ism, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” that’s exactly where harvest time sends us, especially if we grow our own edibles. Who better to ask for inspiration now than Deborah Madison—often called the Julia Child of vegetarian cooking? Listen to our conversation (my newest podcast) about her latest book, “Vegetable Literacy.” Along the way you’ll get wisdom on her must-have garden herbs; a recipe for her versatile, rich-in-a-good-way Romesco sauce; and even Deborah’s unexpected secret weapon for gopher control. Madison’s massive 1997 volume “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” (Amazon link) is probably on your shelf, or should be, and this year she published her 10th cookbook–another comprehensive, beautiful must-have. It’s arranged not in the usual manner (appetizer to dessert) but taxonomically, by plant family. (Remember my story about it, and her recipe for cauliflower pasta with red pepper flakes and more?)

prefer the podcast?

FROM HER SUN-BAKED, drought-weary kitchen New Mexico garden, Deborah Madison was the guest on the latest edition of my weekly public-radio show and podcast. Listen anywhere, anytime: Locally, in my Hudson Valley (NY)-Berkshires (MA)-Litchfield Hills (CT) region, “A Way to Garden” airs on Robin Hood Radio’s three stations on Monday at 8:30 AM Eastern, with a rerun at 8:30 Saturdays. It is available free on iTunes, the Stitcher app, or streaming from RobinHoodRadio.com or via its RSS feed. The July 22, 2013 show can be streamed here now. Robin Hood is the smallest NPR station in the nation; our garden show marked the start of its fourth year in March, and is syndicated via PRX.

“This is the worst gardening year I’ve ever seen,” says Deborah. “It’s the third year of serious drought.” Things like lilacs formed buds, but they dried instead of opening, she says, “and the gophers have been devastating.” The animals have moved into everyone’s gardens because of the relative moisture of cultivated areas, but on that score, at least, Madison got lucky (or should I say ingenious, and also brave): “The two giant gopher snakes I caught a month ago in the lane are finally getting the population under control,” she says of the reptiles she made feel right at home. She hopes they start a family in her backyard.

MADISON DIDN’T plant her first plant until she was 35, but does have a botanical provenance, anyhow. Both her father and brother became botanists, so Latin was certainly always in the background. “Vegetable Literacy” (Amazon affiliate link) came to her when she let some carrots flower and then noticed how their umbel flowers looked like others: cilantro, dill, lovage. Thus, thanks to a carrot, her formal exploration began. Despite the expression “please don’t eat the daisies,” Madison admits she has a “special fondness” for members of the daisy family, or Asteraceae—perhaps one you don’t think of right away when you look at your vegetable garden. Most of us can probably name the brassicas, or the legumes…but the edible daisies? Jerusalem artichokes, globe artichokes, lettuce, cardoons, chicories, the root vegetables salsify, burdock and scorzonera, and even tarragon figure in there taxonomically—and all are Madison favorites. (Read more on Madison’s blog about her love of the Asteraceae.)

HERBS she wouldn’t be without—or as she says, “small things with a lot of punch,” meaning you only need a little to make a big flavor difference, include these lovelies:

Shiso, or Perilla—add slivers to a salad, or serve it with beets, she recommends.

Epazote—“a stinky, strange herb,” she says, and “a bean herb”—meaning often cooked with beans, but also good with cheese, such as in a queso fundido (a sort of dip of melted cheese).

Lovage—“I’m crazy about it—and the gophers love it, too.”

Salad burnet—“An absolutely exquisite-looking herb.”

And if your cilantro is going by?–“The green coriander buds were my big discovery last year–divine!” says Madison. “They’re a little wild, and something in between cilantro and coriander; lovely in a salad, faro or wild rice.”

SPEAKING OF FLAVOR, I asked Deborah to share her recipe for Romesco sauce because the members of the Solanaceae—nightshades such as tomatoes and peppers—are coming on in our gardens right now.

deborah madison’s romesco sauce

A SPANISH SAUCE that has been interpreted by many cooks. It’s “not just a garnish,” Deborah says—but great on crostini, on roast vegetables or potatoes, stirred into a soup, served with beans. You name it. (My suggestion: Make enough to freeze some for winter use.)

how to win ‘vegetable literacy’

I’VE BOUGHT TWO EXTRA COPIES of “Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison (Amazon affiliate link) to share with you. All you have to do to enter: Comment in the box at the end of the page, answering the question: What plants do you turn to time and again for that “punch” that Madison enjoys from shiso and lovage and the like? My answer (I know, b-o-r-i-n-g): Italian, or flat-leaf, parsley. I love adding leaflets to my salad greens; it tastes so full of greenness and health. No answer, or feeling shy? Just say, “count me in” and I will. I’ll choose two winners at random after entries close at midnight Thursday, Aug. 1. Good luck to all!

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Rosemary wins me over for so many dishes: chicken, lamb, potatoes. And I drag the plant inside for winter…..occaisionally successful. But my new love is dried persimmons shaved onto yogurt with berries and honey…and toasted walnuts.

I just met this wonderful book and immediately ordered it for a house present. Just a wonderful book for gardener cooks. Would love to have it in my own house!

Arugula! Home grown is so spicy & nutty, and it holds up a nice texture when gently heated. It it great tossed in hot pasta, heaped on homemade fresh from the oven pizza, and in paninis. Makes a good pesto too.

Garlic scapes are a year round flavor power booster in my kitchen – I make pesto when the scapes are in season then store in my fridge and freezer for use in pasta sauces, soups, frittatas, dips, mayo and holiday and house guest presents.

My lilikoi (passion fruit) vines are loaded with fruit this summer on the Big Island. I am determined to come up with a healthy salad dressing/marinade/whatever using the tart goodness of this fabulous fruit!

Any fresh herb that is in my garden. I love fresh Basil because it goes with anything tomato based. I have plenty of tomatoes this year! I also love rosemary on bakedor grilled chicken or used in warmed olive oil to dip chunks of fresh baked bread. Pure yumminess!!

Cilantro is the go-to herb in our kitchen. I have to succession plant it every few weeks and keep it watered in the summer, otherwise here in Kentucky, it would not grow when the tomatoes are ripe! It grows like crazy in the fall, spring, and over the winter under a row cover, so to extend the season of tomatoes and cilantro we open a jar of homemade salsa, chop up some fresh cilantro and stir it in. Yum.

From the Podcast: Doug Tallamy’s ‘Nature’s Best Hope’

“Nature’s Best Hope” is the title of University of Delaware professor Doug Tallamy’s newest book, and the subtitle reads like this: “A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard.” In other words, you and I are nature’s best hope. Our actions count, and they add up to counteract a fragmented landscape and other challenges to the survival of so many critically important native creatures and the greater environment we all share. (Stream our conversation below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)